Blinded Truth
by xbluxmoonx
Summary: A long time ago, there was a man in this very village who had an eye that could see the Truth! Now, usually, you have to train your mind's eye most strenuously to see the truth...but, this fella, no, they say he had a different way of doing things..."
1. Chapter 1

_**Blinded Truth**_

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Chapter 1

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"A long time ago... There was a man in this very village who had an eye they said could see the truth! Now usually, you have to train your mind's eye most strenuously to actually see the truth... But this fella, no, they say he had a different way of doing things... His house stood where the well is now..."_

-Old Man in Kakariko Village.  
_Ocarina of Time_

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It grew dark quickly that evening. Right after dinner, the sun had set. The village elders knew it was time. They packed quickly and quietly, taking along with them those children that had waited all summer. A few cried, red eyes streaming with tears, others smiled and laughed, while some were too mature to care. They sat in the wagon, the glamoured black canvas bonnet hiding them from the outside; blending with the darkness the night creatures were so blind to.

"Be careful, Erebus," a woman with blazing red hair held a small boy in her arms, her eyes not on the squirming child, but on the man before her, "Come back safely, you hear."

The man called Erebus laughed light-heartedly, leaning forward to place a kiss on the woman's cheek, and then the boy's. "Always, Semele. I will be back before tomorrow's night."

Semele smiled, red eyes alighting with his, as she leaned toward him- looking as though to kiss. Instead, she whispered into his ear; "I will watch your eye."

He craned his neck sideways and caught her lips with his. They parted, as the boy in Semele's arms tugged on Erebus's curly brown hair, catching his attention. "You, Fido, will be good to your mother."

Fido laughed, eyes wide- mouth as well, the comings of his second tooth on the way and showing like white diamonds.

"See you then?" Semele said, smiling.

"See you, love," he said, eyes lingering on her face for a few mere more seconds, until someone grabbed his collar.

"Erebus, hurry!"

The said Sheikah laughed, letting him be pulled away from his family. He waved to them before turning around and running after the elder silver-haired woman that had yanked his collar.

"I'll get back at you for that, Impa!" he remarked, climbing onto the wagon to sit beside her.

She chuckled, grabbing the reigns to the pack of six mules, "Want to bet on that, dear cousin?"

Erebus rolled his ruby red eyes as he fixed his tunic, "Won't I?" He turned to her, eyes wide.

She rolled her own before glancing behind her. "All the children are ready?"

"Yes, I believe so," he said, turning to see if a certain redhead was nearby. He spotted her auburn head of hair above the steps to his cottage in front of the windmill. She waved at him, before grasping Fido's and waving his.

Erebus smiled, waving back. "I will miss them," he murmured to himself.

"I'm sure you will," Impa mused.

He turned to stare at her in surprise, "I didn't think you heard."

She grinned; forgetting to answer him as she finally led the horses forward, jerking the wagon into movement.

Erebus gripped the seating, too riddled into his thoughts to notice the stares he received from his cousin.

XxxxXxxxX

"Do you accept your status in our society, child?" The king's voice boomed throughout the throne room, shaking not only the crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceilings, but nearly all the bones in the child's body. "Will you forever keep your allegiance to I, and the Royal Family in any time of need?"

The girl kneeling before the white-haired king stuttered, wishing she could be anywhere but be in front of him, gazing into cerulean depths that made her want to cry into a fit. "I-I…of-of c-course… Y-your Majesty."

The king smiled, creases outstretching from the sides of his eyes, as he stood straight, lifting the silver-streaked blade that had rested on her shoulder. "You may rise, Ophelia."

She did, legs shaking. Her eyes burned ever so slightly, something that tingled with exhilaration and pain at the same time. She bowed once more, and turned away, unaware that teardrops had fallen from her eyes.

"Erebus, boy," the king called, searching the crowd before him. A soft murmur arose, as the Sheikah group parted to let him through.

He knelt forward quickly, almost awkwardly, letting his curly brown locks fall over his eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

The king placed a hand on Erebus's shoulder, motioning for him to look up. He did, into dark depths. "You have achieved greatness, Erebus, even if you do not know it."

"But, Your Highness…" He began, bewilderment edging his tone.

"Wait, son," the king said, "I know you are too young, but even the Queen agrees with me."

"Do not forget me, Your Majesty," Impa added with a grin, as she stepped behind Erebus, sending both the king and queen a knowing smile.

"Agree with what, Your Highness?" Erebus asked suspiciously. When his cousin was involved, it usually always meant trouble.

The King of Hyrule smiled, "We have all agreed to knight you as the head leader of the Sheikah clan, to lead this new race to a different kind of legend- alongside Impa."

Erebus was utterly speechless, to say the least. Eyes wide with shock, he glanced toward Impa. She nodded in appraise, as if telling him it was all right. Really, it was perfectly fine.

"Th-thank you, Your Majesty," he finally croaked, "I am honored."

He was knighted, marked with the Sheikah sign, and supposedly honored forever amongst everyone, and every other race out there. Supposedly, anyway. He didn't exactly feel like he was that important, or that courageous or daring. He still felt like everyone else: frightened out of their wits.

"That was very unexpected," Erebus sighed as they exited the castle, feeling as though he could breathe for the first time since they had arrived, "I hadn't expected so much."

"As if none of us knew the eye that you have," Impa drawled, stepping ahead of him, leaving him speechless.

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The Eye… The Eye… He hoped to the goddesses it was all right. He had worked forever to construct it with all the magic and glamour he could conjure and use. It was a beautiful invention, one so that any Sheikah could use to see inside the very being of one's soul, know their truths, their desires. They would know everything, feel everything, be _anything_ to anyone. As long as they could handle it, as long as they could withstand the pain they felt for their people, their King, then so be it.

_The Eye_… _The Eye_… He wondered if Semele had used it yet. He knew her suspicions, her fears, but he loved her as it is. She would never betray him- never. They would lead the clan to prosperity. Forever and ever.

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"Do you see that?"

"Is it smoke?"

"It's too high! They're clouds!"

"Shut up, you spoiled brat! It's smoke!"

"Quiet, all of you!" Impa exclaimed, sending the children in the wagon to silence.

But they were right. Well, whoever that had said it was smoke, anyway.

Erebus gazed up at the western sky, black with smoke and soot. His heart raced, adrenaline pumping in his veins, as dark thoughts began to race through his mind.

"No, no," he murmured in disbelief. He could smell it now. Death. Destruction. Everything ablaze. It just couldn't be.

"Erebus," Impa said, grabbing hold of his arm before he could jump out of the wagon, "Stay inside the wagon."

He turned to her, enraged. But her eyes gave away nothing. So inexperienced he was. He sat back, trying to take a deep breath. The smell of smoke washed over him, making him frantic once again.

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They reached the village; wagon long deserted, to see everything they hoped hadn't been true.

Houses, ablaze with whatever residual flames remained, were left to crumbled, black walls and fallen roofs. Stumps of furniture remained; some contained nothing but ash and embers. The windmill, now visible beyond an unrecognizably jagged stump of wood and brick and flames, still stood. The fans mere long sticks glowing with dying flames, creaking as the wind picked up speed, carrying embers that swirled around the village like the dark shadows of morning fog.

"What happened here?" Impa's voice broke through Erebus's thoughts, cutting through the darkness that clouded over him. He could only stand there, unbelieving.

There was no answer. There couldn't be. No one was there to answer her question, when all that they saw were burnt grass and crumbling houses.

"What do we do?" Erebus murmured, more to himself than to anyone. He couldn't let them hear. He was the leader, for goddesses' sake! He should be telling them what to do…!

But, the words didn't form in his mouth. He rushed forward, past Impa and the children, toward where his house used to stand. When his feet hit the last step, he crumbled, just like the home before him. Gone. Completely. Even the fern that hung outside his door had burnt to a crisp, withered to ashes and left in the cracked pot on the last step.

"It wasn't just any normal fire," he said quietly, hearing footsteps behind him. His eyes watered, embers flying into his eyes. "It was _his_…wasn't it?"

"Erebus…" Impa's voice was too far away, as if she weren't standing behind him.

"You are correct, boy…" _this_ voice was closer to him, but it wasn't the voice he wanted to hear.

He swirled around, standing up. "_You_…" he seethed. Despite the fact that his vision was blurred, he could tell perfectly well who stood before him, who dared to come face-to-face with him after what he had done.

"Be kind to me, boy," the man's voice boomed, yellow eyes aglow with rage, "After all, I was the one that helped in the creation of your pathetic race. Too bad I will help destroy it."

Erebus sneered, "The goddesses would never allow it, thief."

Ganon laughed, shaking his head, "If only…" And then he disappeared, for a second unaccounted for, before returning again, with a girl in his arms. He pushed her forward, to face Erebus.

"Semele," he gasped, reaching for her arm.

She flinched away, eyes narrowed in disgust, "Away from me, _peasant_."

"Semele…" It left a bad taste in his mouth, when usually he felt nothing but love for her. All he could feel was Ganon's hatred, and his evil in her. "What have you done to her?" he snapped, turning to the Gerudo, outrage evident in his expression.

The dark-skinned man laughed, hand still firm on the redhead's arm; "Nothing you aren't familiar with, I'm sure."

Erebus could feel the pain wrenching his heart, driving him toward madness if he didn't handle this now. But Impa was there, so suddenly he hadn't seen her come.

"Where are the others?" she demanded, arms folding across her chest in clear defiance.

Erebus wanted to slink away. What leader was he, unable to deal this for himself?

Ganon smirked, a haunting guise that darkened his eyes to a sickly yellow, "Wallowing in the misery for their dead ones. I thought it a good idea to let them see what their kind will become after this war."

Erebus glanced at him, but he was too busy focused on Impa. So he turned to Semele, and alas, her once beautiful eyes were now focused on the wicked Gerudo next to her. A small smile, unlike any he had seen before, graced her lips.

"Semele," he dared to whisper her name; "Where is Fido?"

Her gaze snapped his direction, and he caught it unintentionally. A malevolent smirk twisted her expression into a deriding glare. His eyes began to burn, this time; he wasn't so sure it was from the soot in the air. He could see it clearly. The truth was obvious, unyielding- as much as he didn't want to admit it.

"Dead…" he mouthed, his shoulders stooping.

"Lying amongst the rest of our scrap of a home, dear Erebus." She said, placing a hand to his chest, "Enjoy your trash."

He tossed her hand away from him and glared, one so impossible he thought he could never do to one he had loved so much as her. "You forget everything, Semele, what I could have accomplished for us."

She laughed bitterly, "Nothing. All that is left is rubbish. Go look for yourself."

"Be as it may, Impa…" Gannon then turned to Erebus, "Gather your kind and swear your allegiance to me, or perish like your town." He spat.

"No," Erebus snapped, "We have sworn our allegiance to the King. It is too late."

Semele interjected, "I am the leader's wife…"

"How did _you_ know?" Erebus interjected. Had it broadcasted to everyone but him that he would be the first leader, aside Impa?

"Everyone knew it," Semele replied curtly, before turning to Ganon; "We will accept. Our allegiance is yours."

He saw the tears riding down her dirt-stained cheeks, the way her irises welled with the color of blood. She endured the pain, just to be with _him_.

"You cannot fight away the truth, Semele," Impa voiced, her tone calm but firm, "You can never disobey the King."

Semele mocked, "Pain will no longer be mine to bear, dear Impa. I will be free. Forever. This curse will not bind me. As should it not for any of you."

Erebus turned to Ganon, "I will not kneel to you, thief."

Gannon shrugged, armory clinking together as he moved, his cape following along with him like a curtain to shield him. "I will give you a week, boy. You and your cousin will fall. As for the rest of your kind, they will be with me."

Erebus set his jaw, heart still pounding in his chest, but still firm. His answer was set. If only he knew what to do when _that_ did not quench the want for the man's greed.

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Yes, this is set way back- before Ocarina of Time, during the wars. My take on the Sheikah past and based after the Seeing Truth Saga. This is also found in Seeing Past Darkness, but I thought I would separate the stories. Please tell me what you think and keep reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Blinded Truth_**

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Chapter 2

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Ganon was right. There were at least half of the village's townspeople in the Shadow Temple, more than half were women- the rest being young boys and children. They huddled together in the midst of the burning flames, on the raised pedestal, praying. Clothes singed, hair matted, faces smudged with dirt, the Sheikahs looked more like peasants than beautiful shadow people. Until there heads lifted to stare at Erebus as he walked inside the dimly lit cave. Their ruby red eyes sparkled brilliantly, flashing in the flames, the anger welling inside them like the tears that spilled over their dirt-stained cheeks.

Erebus parted his lips, the breath escaping from his lungs. A sense of urgency passed through him, as the painful feeling of revenge and remorse mixed with his determined thoughts. He could hardly imagine his wife's face anymore, or Ganon's cruel words. He only sought to help his people, and his homeland. But, before the words could leave him, Impa had begun her own speech.

He had forgotten she was there. Shaking his head, he then began to walk slowly around the perimeter, eyes roving over the small children pushing through the cluster of adults. None were Fido, he realized. But at least, he knew all the children had been saved- including those still waiting patiently in the graveyard…almost all of them, anyway. Impa had refused them access into the temple, and Erebus could hear their whines and complaints as they had entered. But, he didn't feel regretful for forcing them to stay in the graveyard. It was far more dangerous in the temple.

"This is all of that are left, I see," Impa was speaking quietly, her tone thoughtful, "And the rest? What happened to them?"

Erebus hated to hear the answer, but nonetheless, walked closer to Impa. The crowd backed away from each other, most stepping off the stone platform. Smaller children took large breaths, glad for the clean air once they were freed from the group's claustrophobic hold. The new leader turned away, pain nagging at his heart.

"They followed Ganon, Impa," a soft voice replied. Erebus recognized it to belong to one of Semele's friends: Inga. "He thought he would kill them if they didn't follow, and left the children here while they went with him…"

Erebus furrowed his eyebrows, "And, how did you all escape?" Bitterness entrenched his tone, as he fought for the words to come out of his mouth. The last thing he needed was for a sob to get caught in his throat.

Inga glanced downward, dark hair pulling over her teary eyes, "We ran, taking all the children before much damage. A few of us hid, some tried to fight. Those that fought were disadvantaged against him…So, Semele tried to compromise…"

"_Compromise_?" Erebus snapped, "So, she turned against me, against all of us!"

Inga jumped back, eyes wide with shock. Her vision suddenly blurred, and she hastily wiped the tears away, while adding a hesitant reply; "Erebus, she saved us. She took those more experienced with her, the ones that were fighting, and told they would serve him as long as he didn't hurt the other Sheikahs."

"But, how could you agree to that?" Erebus remarked, glancing toward the quiet Impa. She gave no emotion away, her red orbs clouded over in thought.

Inga grimaced, glancing behind her, "She would have no more deaths after her son…your son…"

Erebus turned on his heels, ready to leave, when Impa stood in his way. She grabbed his shoulders, and forced him to meet her gaze. His heart pounded in his chest, drumming in his ears. He felt nauseous.

"Listen to what they have to say, Erebus," Impa said softly, "We all need to know."

The Sheikah nodded solemnly, shrugging away from Impa's hold to return to the group behind him. "Continue, please, Inga…" His tears tasted like salt, sending a sob ready to cut his words in half.

Inga shook her head, folding her hands together in front of her; "She told Ganon…" her voice hardened at the name, her eyes stinging horribly, but she continued, "She told him that she would serve him, so that we could continue our service to the King."

"She separated the Sheikah clan," Impa interjected calmly, "So we could fight against each other?"

Inga lifted her gaze ever so slowly, "There was no other way, and she wouldn't have it that all of us be taken, or you, Erebus."

Now, he felt terrible. More than terrible- he wished he could crawl into a hole and die. All those horrible things he had said to her. As if she were scum! But she had sacrificed herself for him, for the Sheikahs.

"There is no other way, Erebus," Impa said, "We must go against Ganon…"

"What about the other Sheikah?" Inga asked, speaking Erebus's own words. "Will we go against them?"

Glancing at the eyes of all in front of him, Erebus knew that all of them wanted to know her answer, hoping it would be the answer they wanted to hear. His answer…

"Yes," Erebus replied, receiving a surprised look from Impa and the group. Some began to cry at this, falling to the floor on their knees. He sighed, adding, "Only if we must."

The sobbing quieted.

"We will do what we can against him, but if the others get in our way, then we have to take them down- temporarily, at least." He continued, his own words impairing his thoughts. Even to himself, he didn't sound reassuring.

Impa nodded, inhaling deeply. She looked exhausted. "He is right. But, for now, we must all set camp, and get as much sleep as possible. When the sun sets, Erebus and I will head for the castle, send word to the King."

Most of the group nodded, others whimpered softly. None were strong enough to feel enthusiastic. They left the temple, the torches still burning.

XxxxXxxxX

"What do you think she meant, Impa?" Erebus whispered to the silver-haired woman, his eyes unable to meet hers over the cackling flames of the small bonfire; "Why would she say she would be free… Why would she…she lie like that?" He stared dully at the fire, his eyes alighting in the color of blood, as his mind raced with the thoughts of Semele, and Fido. They had come to mind as quickly as they had gone.

Impa sighed; throwing in another twig from the small stack of firewood she had been collecting. "She was protecting you, Erebus. Don't you get it, yet?"

The Sheikah across from her finally dared to tear his gaze from the flames, and toward her, "I do…but…I just wish I _knew_…"

The silver-haired woman smirked wearily, "None of us did. Did you really think_ I_ was the only one able to hide my emotions?"

Erebus shook his head, unable to smile at his cousin's attempts to lighten the mood. "I wish I could see her again…"

"You will…" Impa remarked, cocking a silver eyebrow.

"Under better conditions, I hoped." But that wish was too far away, too quixotic for what lay ahead.

"Don't lose hope, cousin," Impa said, smiling softly.

He huffed, rolling his eyes, "If only…"

"You, Erebus," she said, "Are as ignorant as you were when you were a child. Not _as_ ignorant, really, but nearly. More mature now, but…"

"Impa!" Erebus exclaimed, eyes wide with amazed irritation. "Aren't you worried for them?"

"Of course," she grew serious, voice lowering, "I fear for them all. But if we cannot stand with courage, how can they expect themselves to be courageous as well against such dark forces at work?"

He rubbed his forehead in exhaustion, "You are right, Impa, so right. But, I don't think I can…"

"Nonsense," she remarked, waving a dismissive hand at him, "Get some sleep. We shall head for the castle at night, seeing as how the trip there nearly two hours ago has completely drained me out." She slipped under the covers of her makeshift sleeping bag, and closed her eyes.

Erebus nodded reluctantly, "Of course. Goodnight, Impa."

"Goodnight, cousin."

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The bonfire had slowly lost its ferocity, flames barely strong enough to lick at the crumbled twigs and branches that fueled it. He could hear it cackling ever so slightly, but he could have sworn he heard pops and crackles from somewhere else in the village, where a small fire still burned somewhere inside a crumbled house, finishing off the valuables that it had begun to destroy.

Erebus's watchful gaze settled on the sky above him, pink and yellows and blues gone- hidden by the remnants of smoke that lingered up high in the air. He sighed quietly, his mind too troubled with the thoughts of his family that had so seemingly fallen apart in one single night.

He turned onto his side, sadly, to face his house. Crumbled and ruined. He hadn't bother to look there for anything, seeing as how everything was gone. Burnt to the ground. But something nagged at the back of his mind, telling him he would never rest if he didn't do _something_, and he just had to. Even if it meant actually getting his exhausted body to sit up…

The other three bonfires had died down as well, but those sleeping didn't seem to care. They were huddled together, their breathing soft and dreamlike. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be up anymore. Sleep seemed much more peaceful, and much less worrisome. His thoughts wouldn't have time to gnaw at his insides, feed him worried possibilities of things that could go horribly wrong… Besides, everything already had.

The front door was kicked open, its nearly untouched but darkened skin chipped and singed. It laid against the sooty sofa, where the material had been burnt through- the color gone. Vases that had once held lively wildflowers were crushed, the glass melted to the floor. Tables were overturned, burnt drapes swayed half-heartedly in the wind over the naked windows. The walls had taken the worst damage. Where the fire had burnt holes through, the skeleton of the house jutted out. Its guts hung from fire-damaged plywood, the discolored, flowery wallpaper peeling like sun burnt skin.

Erebus stepped inside slowly, his boots reverberating the groaning floorboards. He could smell the smoke that clung to everything inside, worse now than it had been from outside. Craning his head to his left, he saw the small room that he and his family shared. Most of it had been given up for his son to sleep inside, to gather toys and memories… He walked past the kitchen, and toward the door that barely hung onto its hinges. It creaked open, and he carefully stepped inside. The room seemed more or less damaged; the walls and ceiling much alike as the main part of the house. One thing extra was the drawings. Limp and crumpled and curled at the edges, they barely clung to the walls. The colors painted brightly on the once white had faded, mingling with the dark hues of the paper and the wall. They hung uselessly, but Erebus kneeled next to one. He could remember the slashes of paint his son had so easily created with little hands. Nothing more than a splash here, a handprint there... They had still been teaching him to talk.

He was about halfway through standing- since he was no longer able to handle the emotional stress, when the floor under him thumped dangerously with his nearly unbalanced footing. He stepped away, eyeing the untouched, blue rug under him. The edges hadn't been singed, not one hair. Recognition crossed his features, and he stumbled off of it- something a Sheikah hardly did. But he ignored his carelessness, and threw the rug aside. A plain, simple plank was under the rug. The fire hadn't touched it; even the metal handle hadn't melded it to the wood. He grabbed the latch, adrenaline rushing through, and his hopes undoubtedly high.

It didn't swing open as quickly as he had hoped, but after many tries, the door swung open. It was pitch black inside, even so that his Sheikah eyes could hardly see. There was no quick way to light the darkness within, but he hoped he could find the steps- the ones he had traveled only a few times before. Glancing behind him once more, he then proceeded to dangle his legs over the edge of the open space.

Counting to three, his breath wistful and sharp and shaking, he jumped into the darkness.

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	3. Chapter 3

**_Blinded Truth_**

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Chapter 3

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There were no steps. He forgot. It was a nearly ninety degree stone inclination, crevices embedded deep into the stone to allow some sort of place his fingers could wedge into. But the illusion had tricked him; his Sheikah senses too clouded over to realize it. He fell deep, maybe thirty- forty feet into the dark abyss. His scream was caught in his throat, his tongue dry and swelling, as his heart felt like jumping out of his chest. The momentum carried him quickly downward, and he wouldn't have the chance to land gracefully; his legs were tangled and uncontrollable under him. He reached out instinctively, groping for anything nearby. The dark, indescribable walls were slick and moist and slimy against his fingertips. Nevertheless, he dug his fingernails into the cold, praying to the goddesses for a crack or a niche in the stone.

Some down half way, his fingertips caught a chunk of loose wall, spraying it onto him as his wrist nearly twisted with such strong force that his hand- not to mention his entire arm, felt like popping off. He had caught a crevice, and he struggled to keep his fingertips from sliding out. Swinging slightly, he readjusted his body, chest to the wall, to pull his other hand to support himself. His arm ached, the shoulder feeling ready to detach, and the pain (like fire) traveled throughout his body. His head spun, the darkness too overwhelming, making him nearly forget which way was up.

He grunted, teeth grinding, as he hugged the wall. Sweat dotted his forehead, trickling to the sides. The vertical tunnel seemed much more harmful than he remembered. Its insides like that of some great beast, daring to swallow him up if he fell too far in, where its jaws would snap shut and leave him in darkness. His heart pounded vigorously in his chest, drumming loudly in his ears, deafening. He let himself hang, now. Letting his flushed cheek rest onto the slick and cold wall before him, he hoped to calm himself down enough to think, enough to see.

He took a deep breath, letting the sickly sweet smell of earth to overwhelm him. His mind raced, and he could feel the flush of warmth in his cheeks lessen. He kept his hands where they were, and began searching for a crevice to place his feet. It took a few minutes, the strain on his arms beginning to worsen. He grunted, groaned, seethed. Ah, an opening. A deeper one than the ones his fingertips grasped for dear life. He rearranged himself, daring to slide his fingers to and fro on the walls. As he did, his right foot quavered slightly, his boot not too entirely fixed into place. Another loose piece chipped and fell. It wasn't too long until he heard the dull thud of it against the ground. He debated, now, whether he should jump. It wasn't as if he was some normal Hylian- some senseless creature.

He gritted his teeth, and then braced himself. On the count of three, he would jump and let himself fall again, but knowingly this time. And he couldn't say he didn't mean to kill himself… _One...two…_ Last minute thoughts shuffled his movements, and by the time it came for _three_ he had been too jittered. But, he jumped. Unorganized, unpracticed. He felt terrible. The landing had him in a heap, but at least it hadn't been too far off. Maybe ten feet, fifteen? He groaned in irritation more than any other soreness, as he felt his ankle ignite with pain with pain that up his arms and down his feet to lick at the rest of him. At least his hands were free. His fingers were sore, though, his shoulders stiff, and his wrists stabbing with sharp needles.

The ground under him was hard and compact, just like the stone walls. He grimaced, pulling himself into a sitting position and leaning his back against the stone. His head bumped against it, and he merely had enough energy to groan. His headache worsened, but it was nothing compared the hallucinations. He thought he could hear something scuffling. Beyond the low arch before him, where the blackness seemed blacker than the tunnel, a soft shift could be discerned from the quiet- here and there. A rat's pitter patter, maybe. But it was too deliberate, too loud for a mere rat. It sparked his interest, and he crawled forward, grit digging into the palms of his hands.

His pupils needed time to adjust to the darkness, opening wide, nearly so large that the white of his eyes disappeared in the deep blackness, a mere thin ring of red glowing faintly. He would need to make sure he didn't step out into the sun too quickly, or face burning his means of vision to a crisp. And, just in case, he walked slowly, as if a light would flash in his eyes at any given second.

The ground soon gave way to cold dirt, scraping under his nails and sticking to his palms. He was under the arch now, the coldness seeping to the marrow of his bones now. There was a bad vibe now, pulsing through him, forcing his eyes to water. He hated this place, but it called to him. He needed to go, had to.

The temperature dropped, accompanied with the horrid sound of unutterable silence. Nothing scurried past, nothing groaned in agony, nothing… It wasn't right, Erebus reasoned. He hid his groan, and shuffled to his feet. The world spun for a second, and the dark ground plummeted toward him. He leaned haphazardly to his side, grappling onto the naked wall. It held him for a while, enough to allow the fuzzy world to come back into focus.

With eyes burning, he righted himself, ignoring the beads of sweat that uncomfortably latched his hair to his skin. He felt exhausted, confused. Death lurked at every dark corner and crevice; the pungent odor of mold and decay shrouded his senses. He could hardly manage to walk, to breathe. Never before had it caused so much pain to walk here, the world hidden from the Sheikah. He should have never created such a place, never should have placed the object he searched for in these tunnels and rooms. Death was literal, now. The souls ravaged by war had crawled here, to escape, to only live in their disastrous greed and envy. Erebus shuddered at this; he felt vile, like the dirt under his feet. This place was the absolute opposite of the Shadow Temple, he knew. All the evil he had placed here. And he prayed to the goddesses it wouldn't leak into the sacred sanctuary…

A shriek- so loud, so terrifying, and so full of pain and agony- tore through the air and into him. To the very marrow of his bones, he could feel it, coursing like electricity throughout him. He convulsed, grabbing his head in attempt to keep the scream from pounding his brain to mush. But something caught him in the darkness. Cold, raw, and clammy; it bit hard through the scuff of his coat and into his skin. He cried out, falling to his knees as deadweight plastered onto him. A sharp stab of pain shot into his neck, spreading like fire throughout him. His eyes felt like bursting into flames, his head growing so thick and heavy that it clogged out all his thoughts. His body numbed to the torture, feeling like the deadweight that had latched onto his back, sucking the life out of him.

_Upyri_, his mind screamed,_ get off…get off…_ His tongue was like heavy lead in his mouth. His teeth gritted together.

The poison spread throughout him, the saliva sticking to him like a second skin. But there was a painful relief above him. The heavy weight had lifted from his shoulders, and quickly he was aware of the cold ground below him and the cool air swirling around his head. Something dropped with a thump beside him, and he slowly flicked his burning eyes open. Black, lifeless, glinting orbs like black buttons against raggedy old skin stared back at him. His breath hitched, and his lungs began to burn with the already long lack of oxygen.

"Idiot," a voice whispered into his ear.

There was a wavering scream, bit back by his own pain, and he realized it had come from his own mouth. He was unsure of the reason of the rippling pain until he lost the feeling of the ground under him. He was being lifted up. He wanted to fight away, to toss the annoyingly cold hand, but he had lost consciousness after that.

XxxxXxxxX

"Did you lose all sense of logic, Erebus?" Impa chided for about the tenth time since he had woken. And he had nothing to do but lay there and listen, half way in or half way out.

"I'm…sorry, Impa." He croaked, sighing lightly. It wasn't a sigh of remorse, however. If he could, he would be smiling, his pale cheeks able to glow a faint flush of pink. Only a few feet away, lay his son. His small form curled into a light ball, his chest rising and falling with his dreamlike breathing. Fido had slept through the entire ordeal, his memories of hiding underground with one of the girl's in the village forgotten into oblivion. Erebus had assumed the girl had been taken as well- along with Ganon's new enforcements. But she lay just as still next to Fido, her raven hair like a thorny halo against her dark skin.

"She was scared out of her mind;" Impa said softly, "The magic was dying out by the time you came."

Erebus sighed, turning away with a dull ache that numbed his body to the core, "It was a lucky thing that I came, huh?"

"What was lucky," Impa interjected, slopping a wet rag onto his forehead, making him cringe in annoyance, "was that I came in time to save your sorry ass before the upyri could kill you."

Erebus's head spun, and he let the ret wag fall to the ground. Impa snatched it before it could get dirty. "You know I've already been infected, don't you?"

Impa shook her head, "I have sent a group to the castle to gather a cure. It won't be long…"

"…Before I die." Erebus hissed.

Impa slapped his shoulder lightly before returning to dunk the damp rag into the water in a chipped basin recovered from one of the houses. "You, be quiet. You'll live, understand?"

Erebus chuckled bitterly, turning to glance at the raven-haired girl once again, "She'll take care of him, won't she?"

Impa lifted an eyebrow, taking slower movements now to reconsider his words, "What do you mean?"

"Both of you will…" he finished, closing his eyes to keep them from hurting any more in the evening sun.

Impa shook indiscernible thoughts that threatened to crystallize in her head. She didn't want to think about her cousin like that. It was hard, however, when he continued his rant on how to become some sort of kamikaze Sheikah soldier.

"She hid him, Impa," Erebus said, hardly above a whisper, "She…I have to find her…"

"No," his cousin remarked curtly, placing the wet rag on his forehead once again, "For all that we know she could have hidden him before she turned against us all."

"I doubt that," Erebus continued, "I should have known; if I had just known the truth- she was fighting so hard, Impa." He turned his head to glance at her, and she quickly took his forehead and firmly kept the rag from slipping off his damp skin. He couldn't move his head now, and he narrowed his eyes in irritation. At least, he thought so. He felt so numb.

"Maybe…" Impa whispered softly, gaze thoughtful.

It was the end of that conversation, as Fido finally awoke from his peaceful slumber and completely unaware of his mother's absence. Erebus wanted to sleep rather than face the horrible truth. But he didn't have to worry so hard about that. He was unconscious by the time dusk gave way to night.

XxxxXxxxX

This time, when Erebus awoke, it was midnight. Instead of the sun choked by rising smoke, it was the clear night sky, glowing with millions of tiny stars and the waning gibbous moon. The smoke had disappeared from the atmosphere; everything that remained from the fire was the burnt up debris, poking the sky with splintered wood and rubble of bricks that coated the ground a fine red.

Glancing around, he realized the camps had lessened. There were only two bonfires burning, and the only people remaining in his campfire group were him, his son, the raven-haired girl, and Impa. The other three a few feet away weren't discernable, their faces either turned away from him or hidden behind blankets.

He sat up slowly, eyeing the poor excuse of a village. It made his heart pound with anxiety. He hated what Ganon had done- he hated Ganon in general. And he couldn't stand to just- to lie, he couldn't just lie there and do nothing. One last glance, he promised himself. He wished he could gather the boy in his arms, and promise no one would ever hurt him. But that would be a lie. If he failed this, he would be hurting his own son, and he couldn't bear to tell a lie. It would rip him apart.

He shuffled slightly, edging upward so he could push himself away from the ground with as little noise as possible. It made him sweat terribly, as he felt a dull pain course through his body, through his veins and his bones. His head hurt, growing lightheaded the more and more he tried to stand up. He would have to crawl to the castle… It sickened him. He would probably fall prey to the wolves. They could sense weakness and fear. He wasn't afraid, however. But weakness was a different answer all together.

The exit to the village was close, maybe ten or so meters away. Burnt grass poked, and then crumbled under his palms to become a fine layer of dust on his palms. He looked behind him. The campfire was only a couple feet behind him. He had hardly moved in the last five minutes. There was a light shuffle, now, and he quickly geared into defense mode. It didn't last long, when he saw the girl laying near his son rustle in her sleep. He thought she would stay, but her eyes slowly fluttered open. They took him in, her gaze bemused and then pensive.

"Erebus?" she whispered softly, thin lips barely moving.

He gulped, blinking a few times before taking in a deep but silent breath, "Yes?"

She cocked her head, rolling onto her side. She couldn't have been anymore than fifteen, he realized. And the thing was- she didn't seem like a weak little girl at all. "What are you doing?"

Erebus looked away, toward the exit, "Just…uh…thought I'd take a…crawl?"

The girl blinked, her expression giving away the fact that she was a little too tired for wry jokes, "Would you like some company?"

Erebus furrowed his eyebrows, wondering for one thing, if the girl would rat him out to his cousin. He nodded, and then added, "Would you mind helping me?"

The girl finally smiled, eyes wide and eager, "Of course."

She scrambled to his aid, being quiet still, and helped him to his feet. All the while, Impa remained cozy in her sleeping bed, and Fido nuzzled closer to the warm addition of blankets to his bed.

"Where would you like to go?" the girl asked, as she held his arm to keep him from falling.

"Out of the village," he said quietly, and then continued when she gave him a puzzled expression, "I've forgotten what the fields look like." His sorrowful expression led her to believe him, and she nodded understandingly.

"Erebus," the girl began softly, once they had reached the stone steps that would lead to Hyrule fields, "Do you think this will end soon?"

Her naivety made him want to ridicule her, but he resisted, biting his tongue to keep a sour remark from escaping. "I don't know…ah…" He hesitated, "What is your name?"

She smiled softly, "Evane."

"That's a beautiful name." She didn't acknowledge his compliment, as they took the first step down. He grimaced, trying his best to ignore the pain that seeped throughout him and emerged through his skin like pinprick thorns.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Evane asked; "You don't look so well."

"I'm fine," he muttered, taking a few more steps. His knees felt like buckling under him, but Evane's grip tightened, her fingernails digging into his skin. It kept him upright, and he was grateful for the reassuring pinch. Or else, he would have fallen face flat, or maybe more at a diagonal angle face fall…

They were halfway down- at the leveled turning point. Only one more flight and they would be standing on the grassy ground, viewing the green knolls painted shades of blue under the shining moon.

Erebus could see a faint light shimmering on the horizon, as if a star had fallen from the sky, shining red and green and blue in the dying sunset. He glanced at Evane, wondering if she had seen it. Her impassive gaze answered his question.

"Evane," he said softly but reassuringly, "I think I can take it from here."

"Are you sure?" She asked, unsure as he was certain.

He nodded, smiling, and hoping she bought it, "I just want some time alone."

She bit her lip for a mere second, and then nodded as well, "All right. Be careful." She slowly let go of his arm, and helped him lean against the rock wall for support. Her worried eyes sent a guilty feeling over Erebus, but he shook it away.

Smiling, he then turned to the uneven steps to begin his descent. Evane stood at the top of the steps, watching warily as he managed to get himself all the way down, and into Hyrule Fields.

"See?" he said, turning around with a forced grin, "I'm all right."

She laughed silently, nodded in reassurance, and headed back up the steps.

Erebus sighed in relief, allowing for the icy chill to numb his cheeks and nose. The tall grass around him seemed to whistle along with his own sorrowful cries, and he slowly trudged amongst them. The river flowed just as quietly and mournfully. The stars blinked, uncaring about him, and he glared up at them in disdain. The goddesses wouldn't have ever done something so vile. At least, he thought they would never have done it. But, he could never have denied it, that he was glad they had given him his son back. Without him, all he could think of doing would be to jump down that dark, vertical tunnel again. Ah, he remembered. The eye was still in there. He wondered if Evane had found it yet, hidden amongst death and destruction and lies and deceit and… He was making himself depressed.

Farther along, in the darkness, he could see those glowing lights. He speculated whether he had seen it the first time, or that the angle of where he had been standing the first time had changed the position of the lights. They seemed more east, rather than north. He continued to follow the lights, anyway, with a painful trek that seemed to take hours.

But once he couldn't continue, the pain nearly drowsing him to sleep that every sense in his body was painfully in tune or out of tune. As if, he couldn't see, but he could hear. He could feel, but he couldn't taste. He could smell, but whatever it was wasn't very pleasant. Of course, the market was never very pleasant. By now, the odors had wafted outside the castle gates, and he had half a mind to turn back around, realizing the lights were nowhere to be seen on the fields. He hated himself for having imagined something so ludicrous, until he saw something that was too unusual even for him.

The castle bridge was lowered. The market, however, was silent. A few dogs barked, and the water in the moat lapped at the shore. Nothing else- not even the wind. The two torches lit- one on each side of the entrance, danced lazily, creating halos on the stonewall. Almost like a dream, it seemed, having never seen something so surreal, as the lights that he had seen before came into view. Just beyond the bridge, they glowed. He squinted, trying to make out certain shapes- any shapes at all.

It was impossible, and he gritted his teeth in irritation. Any longer and he would fall to his knees in exhaustion. But the wind howled in his ears, as if telling him to go further, to see what was beyond the bridge. His legs moved before his mind could process the progress. It was agonizingly slow, as his veins pulsed with the re-dead's venom, burning his insides and taking his body temperature up to a new level.

_Come closer_, he heard the voice, silky and persistent, in his ears.

_We won't hurt you_, this one was softer, more melodious.

_Hurry_, this one drove him on, knowing that the reassuring but demanding voice so close to his ears was in actuality, very near.

At the very entrance, under the stone gate, Erebus realized once and for all, that he couldn't continue. He felt like he had when the upyri had attacked him. His entire body felt aflame, his vision blurring, and his ears ringing. Voices tumbled into his head, now, screaming at him, ordering him to do this and that and keep moving. But he couldn't; he was angry, frustrated. His knees buckled under him, and he grabbed his head to keep the dizziness from becoming too overwhelming.

The world spun round and round, edges morphing into nothing but huge blurs. Beautiful faces first became distraught and stretched incomprehensibly before turning into hideous creatures before him with disfigured features. He wanted to vomit, to let the poison seep out of him any possible way it could. There was nothing he could do now, as the world around him faded into darkness, obscuring everything he believed was real into something more or less an undeniably horrible dream.

X

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	4. Chapter 4

**_Blinded Truth_**

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Chapter 4

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_Get up…Erebus…_

_Wake up…_

_Open your eyes, you idiot!_

Erebus's eyes fluttered open, and a blinding light greeted him. Pain pulsated through him, burning like fire in his eyes and twitching his body to life. He groaned, rolling onto his side but leaving his eyes shut tight.

_Finally…_

Erebus groped for the ground under him, hoping for something solid under the spinning world. Everything else around him was sputtering, spitting up pieces of dry grass or dirt and discernable black sky.

_Erebus…_ A voice entered inside his head, like the sound of a calm stream or a breeze swirling around his ears.

_You must listen to us…_

But the voices intensified the pain inside him, and he fell to the ground. His muscles refused to co-operate, and he finally gave up. The world spun endlessly- even to the point where closing his eyes didn't help dull the nauseating pain.

_You're people have ignored their duties… And they must be stopped._

"That's ridiculous," Erebus wanted to snap. His people were loyal. It wasn't their fault they were forced under Ganon's rule!

_But they were born to fight until death, Erebus, _the voice interjected, _Surrender is ludicrous. That is what we created you for…_

The Sheikah wanted to scream, but his lips were dry and chapped, his throat parched, and his tongue like glue stuck inside his mouth.

_They have gone against us, Erebus, and it is up to you to stop it. _

"I am a Sheikah as well, how could you force upon me something so hideous?" Goddesses or not, he had the freedom to speak his mind- or at least _express _it inside his head.

_It is your task to serve us, Erebus…_

_Do as we ask, and we shall spare you._

"You cannot force upon me any task," Erebus thought angrily, as thoughts of his wife and son and Impa plagued his mind; "I will not agree. I will help them free themselves."

_Forget your family! _The voices screamed inside his head, and he curled into himself, teeth clenched tightly and jaw set. They echoed commands, monotonous incantations. His body burned with frightening cold. His vision blurred, his eyes drying, and his skin tightening painfully.

_We are All you will listen to, we are All you will believe and follow…_

_Do as we ask, or suffer the same consequences…_

The voices faded, droning and calling but receding nonetheless. They left him in a heap, his body too rigid and cold to move. The grass under him poked through his beaten clothes, the dirt sticking to his sweating skin. But he refused to move, refused to listen to the voices that had told him what he needed to do.

So cold… He wanted to shiver, to warm his body. But even the slightest breeze rattled him, forcing his eyes wide open. Crystal clarity greeted him in hues of blue that blanketed his vision. He felt so rejuvenated, so alive. He could feel the slick, cold blood running through his veins, driving him to move and to feel and to taste. He craved warmth, and his eyes roved for something other than the sun.

He drew himself upward, as his skin tingled and a sensation of awareness greeted him. He glanced downward- at his hand that gripped the cold earth underneath; it was inked in black. Swirls and vines and thorns ran along his skin in endless black, leaving his eyes to scale the patterns that wrapped around his fingers and up his arms. To his torso, it ended, its sharp thorns piercing his ribs and spreading in vines up his neck and down his back. He lowered his stocking, and realized his legs were covered in the dark ink.

Slowly and cautiously, he ran his fingers along the dark markings. It played in his vision, growing and changing and morphing into vines that crawled along his skin. He shuddered, as his skin tightened around him. His hearing grew sharper, his vision clearer than it had been seconds ago, and his touch keener as he played with the rigid grass beside him. He realized he had somehow pulled himself away from the bridge; its wooden being too taught and stiff for his sharp senses to catch movement that he would need.

The sound of water reached his ears- the rush of the river greeting him frantically. He noticed the addition of stars in the sky, their brilliance ablaze in the darkness. They called to him silently, twinkling menacingly but lovingly, adoringly but resentfully.

Voices. Screams of horror and fright, anger and frustration... Something was beyond the hill. He could feel it vibrating in his bones, like the aftermath of an earthquake leaving your insides rattling. It didn't stop there, however, as he stood to his full height. His skin was tingling like cold icicles running along his Goose bumped skin, making his nerves jump in spite of himself.

He gazed around him, imagining the tentative feel of cold grass against his cheek, the burn of fire under his fingertips… It rose high in the air, daring to blot out the stars high above. The smoke morphed and grew and smoldered. Angry. Envious…

Erebus growled- a sound so low yet menacing that even the wind was forced to hush itself. He listened for a second, and then cracked his knuckles- and then his neck. Blood flowed freer and faster through his veins. He felt alive. Cold…but alive.

Grass crunched under him as he hiked up the hill before the wide and open stretch in the fields. He sniffed the smoke-filled air, tasted the fear and anger on his tongue. Movement. He crouched low, nearly on his hands and knees, and crawled ever so slowly forward. Worms dug through the earth below, ants carried half-eaten little leaves along their back, and the dirt churned under him. The earth was constantly changing beneath him- slowly but surely, and he could feel ever bit of it. Every sound, every pound, every footstep.

He could see the tops of dirty, dusty, brown tents, like ugly thorns poking the helpless sky. Held up by sticks, anything could suddenly send them tumbling down and into the lit candles inside. Silhouettes shaped into the light- moving, changing, disappearing… A sickening, electrifying chill ran up his spine, and his eyes ran cold and nearly dead. Unable to blink, he was forced to rub around his eyes- try to find some way to end the aching throb inside him and his burning, dry eyes.

But there was something that drew him away from his problems, and rather to focus once again at the camp. They were in plain view, he realized, but his enemy probably knew well enough there would be no one to stand up against him after such a change of luck. Of course, Erebus wasn't like "no one" and "no body". He was different- completely different, and he refused to leave Ganon alone and in charge.

He recognized instantly Semele's figure near the campfire. Her back was to him, but her blazing red hair was enough to signify the familiarity that coursed through him. And without realizing it his mind did something other than encourage a warm welcome. Instead, his mind told him to hate her, to despise her. His body wanted badly to wrap his hands around her neck, to see those dark, blood-red eyes lose their source of sight and life.

As Ganon's burly form stepped into view, Erebus felt nearly the same as he had before: hatred, contempt…but then his thoughts strayed to red eyes…lifeless… He shook his head, teeth clenched, and nostrils flaring. What was wrong with him? His enemy was Ganon- not Semele…! Not the Sheikah race…

He pulled her hair, forcing her to stumble backwards with hands fumbling to free herself. She choked out a horrid cry, begging for mercy. Those once scattered amongst themselves gathered around the blazing fire where Ganon and Semele stood beside it. She stepped awfully close to the blazing fire, and Erebus found himself wondering if Ganon would actually bring harm to her.

"Do you see?" Ganon's voice rang clear as the midday bell in Hyrule Castle Town, "Disobey _me_, and this will be what you will _wish _for." He threw her down onto the ground, head hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Whimpers, whispers.

Ganon disappeared inside one of the larger tents, large silhouette blocking out the glowing candle inside. He had left, but those outside feared him enough to leave the leader's wife to fend for herself.

Erebus grimaced. His _body_ told him to go to her, to finish what his mind wanted. But somehow that hadn't been his very first intentions. For the first time, he wished he hadn't left the safety of the village. _Foolish_… Impa's words echoed in his ears.

Minutes past, and the only movement that gave recognition that she was still alive was the shaking of her fragile shoulders. She was sobbing into the ground, fingers grazing the cold dirt. The other Sheikah were in their tents, covering their ears, and praying to the goddesses she would stop crying so their guilt could finally subside.

But it didn't, and Erebus was the one to respond to the guilt. He deftly snuck toward the campfire, his form nearly shapeless in the dark. Merely his eyes glowed, but no one was there to see it- not even his wife.

Once he reached her, he took hold of her shoulders, but bit his lip in the process. He almost convulsed with shaking, fighting off the sickening ache to cut off her lifeline. But when her breath caught, he slowly but gently rolled her onto her back and placed a hand to her mouth. Her skin paled, her once pink nose draining to a deathly pale color. However, Erebus wasn't focusing on her skin, but rather her eyes. She whimpered, heart hammering… Her eyes. Her jerky movements that were a useless attempt at trying to get away were nothing against him. He was too busy searching for her eyes, hoping her stitched eyelids would suddenly open.

"Semele…" He said softly, his voice cracking in the process; "Semele… What happened?"

Anger died away inside of him; the burning, itching ache that crawled through his very skin and bones slightly receded, and his body no longer wished to wrap hands around her neck. Relief, and he pulled away his cold hand.

Her lips were blue, he noticed, as she stuttered for words, "Who are you?"

"Semele," he whispered frantically, "It is me, Erebus…"

She found way with her hands to his collar, and to his face. They were hesitant, yet warm. They traced the outline of his face, while he watched her bruised eyes in horror. "Erebus…love…" She choked a sob, "Why are you so cold?"

"Cold?" He repeated mutely; "I'm so sorry… What have they done to you? Oh, Semele…"

She smiled bitterly, shivering uncontrollably, but nonetheless gathered herself into his hesitant arms. "I am…I… I only thought of Fido… I'm so sorry…"

Shuffling… Others were waking, others he didn't want to see or hear from. Old anger arose, and new anger as well.

"Hush," he stroked her hair, breathing in her scent, "They are waking…"

"We must leave, Erebus…" She continued on, head whipping upward as if she were to look at him; "We must get home…"

"No, no…" Erebus wanted to shut his eyes, to feel warmth in them. Everything was becoming unfocused and uneven. And yet, he couldn't cry. "I cannot stay, Semele…"

She gripped harder his shirt, but her strength was no match for him. He quickly but cautiously removed her hands from his shirt, placing them on her lap. "Do not leave, Erebus, please…"

"I…" Erebus held his breath, wishing that his body wouldn't go rigid like that, or wish for blood-red eyes to fill his ugly blue vision.

"Take me with you, Erebus…" She grew urgent, whispering fiercely and desperately into his ear.

But he couldn't, they wouldn't let him… If he took her, _he_ would follow, and she would be a horrible bystander in case something happened. Erebus just couldn't let that happen.

"I will return, I promise you," he said, jaw setting arrogantly, "But I must go…"

"Erebus," she cried, as blood seeped through the closed stitches, sticking to whatever remained of her eyelashes; "Don't leave, please…"

He stood up, as footsteps pounded in his ears and shuffling grew more frequent. "Semele, I love you, but you must listen…"

"No…" Her voice rasped, and then faded.

"You!" Ganon's voice boomed.

Semele froze, grip loosening on Erebus's shirt. He pulled away completely, but kept himself firmly planted between Semele and the tawny-eyed Gerudo. Until the other Sheikah arrived, he had been sure whom he had to fight.

Now his skin crawled, his bones ached, and he longed to turn his head and gaze at the beautiful people surrounding him. He bared his teeth, growling, and squared his shoulders.

"Something has changed you, Erebus," Ganon remarked with a smirk, "Your eyes have become black like my heart. A change I rather like. Have you finally sided with me?"

Erebus laughed bitterly, harsh and unexpected for the Sheikah tribe that had looked up to him so often. They shivered with fright, now, and Erebus reveled with pleasure. He would enjoy this.

"Something _has _changed…"

"Much has changed," Erebus interrupted, "But you will be begging for mercy even before I am finished."

Ganon laughed, "I see, then. Your power comes from those too foolish to know what they do. But, what do you plan to do, Erebus?"

The Sheikah grinned, pearly whites appearing eerily sharper than normal in the blushing flames of the campfire. "Much that you will regret."

"Will I?" Ganon mused, folding his arms across his chest and gazing around him- at the Sheikah tribe. They cowered closer to each other, red eyes duller but overwhelmed with tears nonetheless.

"Yes," Erebus hissed, enjoying every word that came from him, knowing he would be undoubtedly true to his word, "You see, you forget how the goddesses rule this land, and…" He laughed gruffly- unlike him terribly, "You believed you could get away with taking half the Sheikah tribe and forcing them to actually work for you…"

Ganon's smile slowly faded as Erebus continued: "So you must be wondering what _I _am here for… Well, I will tell you…"

"Please do," Ganon said venomously, eyes ablaze.

"I am here to destroy you," Erebus remarked simply, "And your supposed army."

"Erebus!" Semele voiced after the sudden silence. She struggled to stand without help, but managed otherwise to right herself. "Please. What are you thinking?"

Ganon suddenly laughed, lips curving upward in a vicious smirk, "Your darling husband has been reborn into a puppet. If only you could see, dear Semele. He has changed completely."

"Reborn," Erebus repeated numbly, an electrifying sensation traveling through his body on invisible currents. He lost sense of the ground underneath him, forgetting the cool breeze or the twinkling stars. The icy chill inside him took over, turning his bones into stone that forged him into something more than unmovable. Instead, his body moved for him, taking complete charge, and left his mind to wander into inexcusable ecstasy that strived for blood he would soon have.

And as soon as this chill took over, climbing surreptitiously yet quickly in strength and in volume, everyone knew. The Sheikah tribe felt old power well inside them, as their eyes burned with tears, and their hearts pounded in excitement. A fight was waiting to be had, and even their mind power wasn't enough to stop them from what their skin desired so badly. Their eyes blazed, and their shoulders squared. They watched a dark-eyed man instead of the tawny-eyed one that now ordered them to fight against their once leader.

But they blazed forward, faster than the speed of sound, toward Erebus. Teeth bared and hands more like claws, they reached to tackle him to the ground. Air pulled them downward onto the ground, empty-handed. They growled, a few in crouched positions, sniffing around them for a clue. Erebus had disappeared from under them. Faster than the speed of light, he finally appeared. Eyes menacing black depths, he watched them steadily. Their moves were precise, perfect as a Sheikah was meant to be. But he was something other than Sheikah. He was what the Sheikah had been deprived from. His strength and cruelty had become his strong points, and his weak points were very little.

They would have to control him to weaken him, but there was no controlling someone like him. A puppet, he remembered. He hated himself, but nonetheless, he felt appraisal as his skin tore against another person's flesh. Blood was vivacious and red, and eyes dulled and died and disappeared before him.

Reborn. Again and again. But his heart felt like dying.

XxxxXxxxX

The moon disappeared below the horizon a few hours later, drawing out hues of pinks and oranges and purples as the sky changed. The sun rose steadily, beaming its rays mercilessly onto the blood-soaked ground and highlighting the silhouettes of still bodies and their pale, white faces.

"Ganon is gone," Semele croaked, wiping dry blood from her cheeks, "Erebus, kill me."

Erebus held tighter onto her hand, closing his eyes for a few seconds and biting back a sob, "No. Never."

"Do it," she said harshly, placing cold fingertips on his now warm skin, "Must I tear these stitches for you to do it?" She reached for her eyes, face distorting in pain.

Erebus pulled her hands away quickly, "I won't let you… Semele…" He stopped, eyeing his blood-soaked hands and the dirt and flesh under his fingernails. They held tightly onto Semele's cool, pale ones, and he felt dreadful and sick to his stomach. "I will take you to the village, but I cannot enter. Not now…not with this…"

"What have they done to you?" Semele whispered harshly, as Erebus ran fingers along her blazing hair, becoming lost in the now limp but soft curls that shone in the sunlight.

"It is something that has been placed upon me by the goddesses, Semele," Erebus replied, "There is nothing I can do, now. Gannon will continue this war until the last of us is gone, but I cannot allow it."

"But, whose side are you on?" Semele asked anxiously, "How can you fight for the Royal Family yet kill those that have been placed to protect them?"

Erebus chuckled, cold and lifeless. She was right. If it were up to him, the entire Sheikah race would be destroyed. Wherever they were during this war, he could find them. Always.

"Do you see those walls, Semele?" He whispered into her ear, and she would have interjected hadn't he quickly shushed her. "You remember them, and I know you can see those rock walls towering over us like prison walls. There is freedom beyond those walls- where I will never cross. You must escape from there, and promise me to take Fido with you…"

"No," Semele's tone shocked Erebus, and she was the one to hush him now; "I will not leave you…"

"Think of Fido," Erebus interjected, eyebrows furrowing; "Think of the others in our tribe, Semele. They will vanish if they stay here. I will come after them, I know I will. And I cannot let myself, or allow for the goddesses do such a thing. They do not rule the lands beyond this one, Semele. You will be free, until I have been rid of. I will turn to the Royal Family, plea for my life, but also plea to be hidden from the outside world."

"No…" Semele had lost sense of her words, and they came from her mouth jumbled and uncontrolled. She was outraged beyond any knowing, and she shook with hurt and deprivation. She grew nauseated, delusional, and hallucinated in the midst of being in her husband's arms.

A few minutes later, she was still. Hunger had deprived her, and so her body shook with cold. Erebus wrapped his arms tighter around her, but continued nonetheless to lift her up. He carried her in his arms, exhausted as he was, to the village. Impa was at the steps. Erebus felt her before he saw her, and froze for a second in his tread

"Erebus, where are you, you idiot?" He heard her whisper in aggravation.

Erebus felt the familiar rush of adrenaline, the chill up his spine, the burning in his eyes that he could not blink away. But he forced it back into the smallest corner of his mind. His skin crawled, yet he continued.

"Impa!" He called to her softly at first, and then another time. He heard her head snap his direction, her breath catching. She could see him, and Erebus saw her, but he refused to look her way. "Don't come closer!" He called.

"What?" She screamed in anger, red eyes glowing, "Where have you been? Who is that? Erebus!"

"Impa!" He warned, "Stay away from me, Impa. Please, trust me…"

"But, why?" She nearly pleaded, eyebrows furrowing.

Erebus dared to step onto the small, stone bridge. "I'm cursed, Impa. And you must listen to Semele…"

"Semele?" Recognition crossed Impa's features, and it took all her might not to run toward them.

"Semele," Erebus whispered into her red hair, kissing her forehead soon after, "Semele, you must tell them what I told you, and what I will tell you now. You will go to the Zoras, do you understand?"

She nodded slowly, lips quivering, but remained silent.

"The Zoras know the way out of here, Semele. Tell them that I, Erebus- the leader of the tribe…" He laughed softly, kissing her head again, "Yours always and forever, sent you. You will take the tribe- as many as are willing, to this place without anyone else knowing. Do you understand? Not the Royal Family, not even Ganon shall know. Keep it a secret, Semele. You must disappear…"

"If you follow, Erebus…if not, I will stay…" She replied softly.

Erebus grimaced, unable any longer to look at her stitched eyes. It was all he could do if he wanted to hide the truth from her. "I will follow…"

She sniffled, and then placed a hand on his cold cheek, "Do you promise me?"

He nodded stiffly, mournfully, "Yes, I will… I do…" His eyes didn't sting with the lie, nor did tears drip down his cheeks. He carefully placed her on the ground, allowing for her warmth to dissipate into his skin and then quickly evaporate. He ran a cold fingertip along her jaw line, memorizing every detail of her into his mind. And then, he pushed away and disappeared.

XxxxXxxxX

The remnants of night slowly dissipated into dawn, and Erebus found himself wandering in the nearly empty market. Merchants were just beginning to set their stands, and townspeople had just begun to wake. It would be a while, he realized, until someone would find the corpses in the abandoned camp out in the fields.

Until then, he needed to rest. It would be soon before he turned himself into the Royal Family, and he wanted to spend his last moments as a free man in peace. He found a spot on the stone steps leading to the Temple of Time, but to a surmounting guilt, he couldn't leave his back to the towering holy ground. Instead, he pushed himself back up, ignoring his aches and pains, and strode across the garden. He passed the pond with slight indifference, unable to look at his reflection in the water as much as he could look upon his wife without feeling horrible remorse.

He had become a monster, and he told himself that over and over again, but unable to come to any conclusion as to whether it was really true or not what he repeated to himself. Nonetheless, he entered the temple, marveling at its stone structure and mosaic windows and marble tiles. As he stepped inside, the steady rhythm of the monk's singing entered his ears. It calmed him immensely, and he relaxed for the first time since he had left the village the night before. His boots pit-patted on the red velvet of the carpet beneath him, and he gazed at it almost lovingly. Red, but it welcomed him further inside the sanctuary.

The mosaic windows glittered in the sunlight from outside, sending shadows and waves of colorful lights shimmering on the gleaming marble tile. The pictures the colorful glass sent shivers up Erebus's spine, and he hated having to look at them with such ease. They told of a story he hated to remember, but even the truth he could not hide from now. The coldness inside of him was still there, sleeping but breathing, and it allowed for once silenced Sheikah ways to re-enter. So he stopped just before the pedestal where the Triforce was marked, and one by one retraced the story of the gods through the mosaics.

An everlasting hatred built inside him, as he remembered the ways that the goddesses inhibited the dead lands, and created a place with animals and beauty and order. And with it, he knew the Sheikah had been ruthlessly created for one purpose after the growth of evil in the Gerudo tribe. He shuddered, and looked away. Closing his eyes, he allowed for the dooming voices of the monks to seep inside him. The songs reverberated through them, and he listened to the drawn out words carefully despite the difficult clarity of their meanings. They sung of Hyrule and the goddesses, and most importantly, the Triforce. It repelled him, as his fingers numbed to coldness and traveled inside his body electrifyingly quick.

The Sheikah were nearby- he could feel it, and they weren't alone. Before turning around to face the exit, or entrance, he willed himself another last look around the temple, memorizing everything as he had earlier with Semele. He didn't want to forget- in case something happened and he never saw anything this grand ever again, or anyone as beautiful and loving as Semele.

One last blink, and then his eyes froze open. Cold withered his old thoughts away, and he stood tall and straight, and unblinking. This was it, he realized numbly. They had undoubtedly surrounded him- quicker than he would have thought. But, then again, Semele could have told Impa what had happened, and despite Semele's objections, Impa had gone on a whim to see the campfire; she had seen his destruction, ordered the tribe to follow him here, and now even the Hylian army had gathered.

"Perfect," he growled, taking an icy inhale of breath. The monk's lyrics entered his mind clearer now, and he wanted badly to shake them away.

_Lie still, in the guardian's keep_

_Nothing can protect you, keep your wit_

_For the goddesses have a plan_

_Thou shall never know_

_Until the plains heave gold_

_And the stars turn to pearls_

_When ruler is all and everything_

_And evil has vanished from the sight_

It was nothing to him, until he remembered the part to come. His fingers itched to crawl up warm skin, and his eyes burned with ferocity to see living blood before him. But he stood still to listen.

_Cold stillness bites like venom_

_Burns and aches like a spear to the chest_

_Throw away your anger, subside to the Ones_

_There is nothing to fear, nothing to hide from_

_Do your will, end your pains_

A loud, pained sound came from his throat, and he didn't realize it had escaped from his own lips until it echoed in the sanctuary and rattled his bones.

Fear flamed from his chest, beating with the momentum of the hundreds of men and women waiting outside for him. They had heard his anguished cry, and their ears flicked away with torment. He had no choice, now, but to go forward. The monk's song repeated over and over inside his head and it slowly but surely coaxed him forward, and out into the dawn's light.

XxxxXxxxX

At the crack of dawn, the Royal Family had been notified of the massacre in the fields. Outraged, they placed the best of their men in the forefront, in search of the killer. With the remaining Sheikah tribe, they followed the killer to the Temple of Time and waited with a militia of men carrying weapons such as swords and spears, bows and arrows, clubs and knives, twisted daggers and sharp swords. They surrounded the sanctuary, anxious but ready for a fight with Hades himself.

Unfortunately, they were encountered by someone other than the god of the Underworld. They encountered someone that seemed more like the god of war. His siding was uncertain, and although the goddesses had bestowed him with powers, he was sent to kill the Sheikah tribe. It remained true that the Royal Family would simply have to fight for the cursed tribe to gain protection so wrongly given to them at a time of confusion and despair. Ganon was lucky with this, however. He wouldn't have to face the strong tribe at the battlefront in front of the market where he waited. His own men and Gerudo women were ready for a bloody fight alongside him, and without much of his knowing the one that became known as the Bearer was just about to help him gain a step forward.

XxxxXxxxX

Erebus lost complete control of his body once he stepped outside. The bright sun blinded him, but his body seemed to know what to do. In an instant, he was dodging arrows and blocking attacks from angered Hylian soldiers. They were too weak for him, and he easily cut through them, throwing them aside like rag dolls with sharp, little toys. But once he reached the first Sheikah, he was completely aware of it. He felt nauseated, his mind reeling. Red eyes clouded his vision and disgust crawled under his skin like the slithering of snakes across rough bark.

_Snap_. He was done.

"Erebus!" His name sounded somewhere in the distance, but he didn't see where it came from- nor was he allowed to look away.

Another fell dead in his arms, and he tossed the body away. The red was gone from its eyes anyway.

"Erebus, _stop_!" And he was tackled to the hard ground. He wrestled angrily, wishing he could dissipate into the dirt and reappear elsewhere. But it was useless. He made the mistake of looking up, now, which sent his blood rushing through his veins faster and faster.

Blood red eyes. Bewildered. Angry. Worried. He wanted it all to go away. But the Sheikah blinked, trying to shake away silvery hair.

"Erebus," Impa gasped, "What has happened to you?"

Erebus snarled, wanting to bite her hands away. "Get off!" He growled, "Leave me be…"

"Don't talk to me like that, boy," Impa matched his tone, but the harshness of his voice was left missing, "Who has done this to you? Tell me! And don't give me that look!"

"Your precious goddesses," Erebus snapped, sarcasm dripping in his remaining ferocity, "They have sent me to kill all of you…"

"All of us?" Impa remarked, "The Sheikah?"

"Yes," Erebus lessened his writhing, waiting painfully for Impa to loosen her grip, as her touch burned his skin, "Cursed, are you not? Like me… We have all been told our parts in this twisted world, Impa, and I will die if I do not obey… As will you…"

"Despicable," Impa spat, "You cannot do this…" Her grip gave the slightest hint of weakness, and Erebus pushed her away violently. She flew a few feet, and then hit the bricked ground headfirst. She groaned with the last remnants of strength, and then went unconscious.

Erebus pounced up, just barely dodging an arrow. _Hmph, cheap shot_, he thought bitterly, stealing the sword of a retreating soldier only to rear it into the man's stomach. He drew it out swiftly, and glanced at the blood that dripped from the blade's tip, wondering if the quench he thirsted for would soon be relieved. It wasn't, and he continued in search of the remaining Sheikah. Most had already dispersed, backing away from them due to a gold-clad soldier screaming orders.

The Sheikah were evacuating, their short onslaught upon him becoming a nightmare. He chuckled lowly, feeling the strength he desired so much reign inside him stronger and fuller. He then turned around to face the fallen Sheikah, whom was barely waking. Her eyelids fluttered open, as she placed a hand to her forehead.

"Are you ready to surrender?" Erebus asked, placing the bloody tip of the blade to Impa's throat.

The Sheikah glanced up at him, red eyes glistening with brimming tears, "So it is true, then."

Erebus grinned, fighting back the urge to plunge the sword, "It is."

"You did not choose this fate, I understand," Impa continued, unmoving in her position but looking quite calm as she lowered her hand from her head; "And you must miss terribly your family, now."

"Impa," Erebus seethed, hands twitching, "What are you doing?"

She lifted a brow in questioning, "What do you mean?"

Erebus scowled, finding it harder to look at her with such disdain, so in place of it took a nauseous feeling, "Stop it, Impa."

"Your family, Erebus," she ignored him, "Fido, he was distraught when he saw you gone. Only when Semele appeared did he finally become a little better…but her eyes…"

"_Impa_," Erebus grinded his teeth, finding it harder to speak or to stay still at all, and it became much more difficult with every second to not wrap his hands around her neck or to plunge the sword into her chest; "_Quiet._ Do you believe this is my doing? This is the work of your goddesses!"

Impa grew silent, testing Erebus's patience. And just as he was to lift the sword and plunge it back down, one beautiful blade glinted in the corner of his eyes. With so long of standing still, he felt too lightheaded and sick to move in time. The sharp sword was thrust brutally into his side, sending him to the ground like one of the many heavy rocks falling from the skies above Death Mountain.

"I am so sorry, Erebus," a familiar voice whispered to him, just after his knees had buckled and the blade was yanked away.

His head hit the hard ground, and the last of his blue-hued vision faded to blurry but colorful things. No longer did the reds of Impa's eyes stand out. Instead, he saw her skin and silvery hair. Beside her was a black-haired girl, a sharpened sword bleeding with his blood in her hand. She dropped it, and kneeled next to him.

"Evane?" He croaked unsurely, as the taste of sickly sweet copper entered his mouth. Bile then rose and he swallowed it down, gritting his teeth and shutting his aching eyes.

"I am sorry, Erebus, really," Evane repeated again, "I couldn't have let you…no… Please, forgive me."

He laughed suddenly, glancing up at her, "Do not be… You did the right thing…"

Impa took him by the shoulders slowly, placing his head on her lap. She rubbed away dry blood and pushed away soft curls from his eyes. "You are a brave one, I must say… You did the goddesses bidding, you did…"

Erebus smiled bitterly, "Will you do me a favor, then…? Even if I so blindly tried to kill you…"

"Of course, boy," Impa replied softly, sadness gripping her despite her more light-hearted tone, "Anything for you."

Erebus heard footsteps approaching, the _clank clank_ of metal, and waited while Impa shooed the weary soldiers away. He heard them grumble, but it left his mind as he remembered his request. "Get out of here, Impa…" He said finally, "Take Fido and Semele and leave Hyrule…"

"What?" Impa remarked in bewilderment, "Have you gone daft?" Then she stopped. Maybe those hadn't been the right choice of words.

"Evane," Erebus whispered, "You must listen. Take it upon all of you once you leave. You mustn't stay…"

"But…" Evane pursed her lips, glancing at Impa's still-puzzled gaze, "Why?"

"Because…" Erebus wanted to snap at her, as if she should already know the reason, but responded as fully as he could. "The Sheikah will not last…" A deep, shuddering breath, and then, "Ganon will come for all of you, if he must, and I cannot trust that the Hylians will do much to aid your quest unless it for their own benefit… "

"But we _are_ the benefit," Impa said, "They will help us, Erebus…"

Erebus closed his eyes tightly, the pain suddenly worsening so that it became harder to breathe, or to think. "No… I will not have Fido live here like this…nor Semele… There is a world outside this one, Impa… They will live there…"

"Is it any better?" Impa replied sardonically, "This world is the one that we know best…"

"One…" Erebus opened his eyes to glare, digging his nails into the ground. He willed himself to keep breathing, keep thinking…forget the wetness under him, reaching his hands to coat the palms in sickly red. "That will pass through famine…and disease… The other world we can fight better... This one…they cannot fight the goddesses…"

Impa bit her lip, unknowingly drawing blood during her wistful thinking.

"I will go."

"What?" Impa shook her head, "Evane…I…"

"Yes," the girl interjected, turning to Erebus, ready to agree to his terms, but stopped.

The red from his eyes had disappeared, leaving black tendrils to spread like vines across his pale skin, wrapping like ivy around his neck and to his face, where they reached the corners of his eyes. Like pinpricks among the sclera and its veins, it reached to the very center of his pale eyes, spiraling until it disappeared in the dark abyss of his dilated pupils.

"Oh, Erebus…" Impa sighed, tears once again falling from her eyes as she sobbed for her cousin and the very first death of the first Bearer- that would bring others in his Sheikah bloodline the very same fate.

"This will not end, will it?" Evane whispered.

Impa shook her head, eyes burning, "You will go, Evane. Half the tribe will be in your care, and you will- with the help of those with you- do everything in your power to stay alive in that world."

"No matter what?" Evane murmured.

Impa placed her hand over Erebus's eyes, slowly closing them shut forever, "No matter what."

X

X

X

The last piece of the short story. Also found in Seeing Past Darkness.


End file.
